My reviews of TV shows and movies

Witches of East End

It’s a real pleasure to see a good TV show that is entirely female driven. Julia Ormond is amazing as Joanna Beauchamp, ancient but still hot witch extraordinaire, who lives in a sleepy New England town with her two daughters, Ingrid and Freya. Joanna and her sister Wendy both bear unique curses, as we discover in the first two episodes. Wendy has nine lives and can transform into a cat, while Joanna is doomed to lose her daughters over and over as they endlessly reincarnate, grow up as practicing witches then invariably die young. In an attempt to thwart the curse, this time around Joanna has kept the truth about their supernatural abilities a secret, but magic isn’t something that can stay hidden for long. There’s an interesting mythology at work here that is unique to this show, an origin story that is very mysterious and has yet to be fully revealed. The writers have lots of fun delving into Ingrid and Freya’s past lives with some really gorgeous period costumes. Fate is a big theme in the show, with destined love affairs that often go tragically wrong and enemies from the past that just won’t stay there. Not as dark as the subject might lead you to believe but there is plenty of eldritch drama and some very creative plot lines. The writers delve into the ethics of magic, issues of right and wrong, the consequences of certain choices and whether or not good intentions can lead you straight to hell. Beautiful people, gorgeous sets, some way cool visual magic and lots of romantic intrigue, but don’t think this is just a supernatural soap. The characters are well drawn and all act according to his or her personality rather than just doing or saying things in order to manufacture drama. I’m delighted by these oh-so-cool witches and disappointed that season 3 will not be forthcoming, and worse, the cliffhanger at the end of season 2 will never be resolved. – BETHANY

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